A conference system is used, for example, in an assembly or other conference, etc., attended by a large number of participants. The conference system is configured, for example, of a single control unit, a plurality of discussion units, connected via a communication line (wired or wireless) to the control unit, and microphones mounted on the discussion units.
The control unit controls operations of each discussion unit and controls operations of the entire conference system. The discussion unit collects the voice of a user of the discussion unit (referred to hereinafter as “user”) by means of a microphone to generate audio information and transmits the audio information to the control unit. The discussion unit is assigned to each participant.
Modes of connecting the control unit and the discussion units include a ring connection mode (referred to hereinafter as “ring connection”) and a daisy chain connection mode (referred to hereinafter as “daisy connection”) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
A ring connection is a connection mode where the discussion units are connected to the control unit in a ring. A daisy connection is a connection mode where the discussion units are connected sequentially in a chain to the control unit.